Help Choose Home

In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Michelle Woodbrey, CDP, CSA, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors. Founded in 2011, 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors offers referral and coaching services to older adults and their families who are exploring aging care options. Michelle, and her co-founder sister, Alyson Powers, have deep career experience in the senior care industry, both in administrative roles and in hands-on care. Michelle and Allyson grew up in the senior care industry, following in their father’s, Mark Tobin’s, footsteps. Mark had a distinguished career in long-term care administration and certainly planted the seed that grew into a passion and career path for both Michelle and Alyson. Together, Michelle, Alyson and the rest of the 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors team work to help families navigate the care options available for senior loved ones, empowering them to establish a plan that meets care needs and goals. In this episode we discuss: How sen

In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Sara Wilson, president and CEO of Home Assist Health, Inc. A nonprofit organization which serves Arizona residents in greater Maricopa County, Home Assist Health, Inc. helps private pay and Medicaid clients pursue independent lifestyles in the comfort and familiarity of home. An innovative leader in the home care industry, Sara is focused on modernizing home and community-based services to improve care experiences and health outcomes, and to reduce costs. Additionally, because of the anticipated labor shortage in home care, she seeks to access and prepare a new workforce that is interested in health and human service professions, for a career in the home care industry. In this episode we discuss: Successfully navigating the pandemic in the home care industry How Home Assist Health, Inc. has supported the medical community during the pandemic The benefits of expanding the Medicaid service model Accessing a new workforce in order to keep up with anticipated st

In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Steven Landers, MD, MPH, president and CEO of Visiting Nurse Association Health Group. With a history of bringing care to people for over 100 years, VNA Health Group is the largest nonprofit provider of community home health and hospice services in New Jersey. VNA Health Group also provides in-home care services in Ohio and southeast Florida. A certified family physician and geriatrician, Dr. Landers brings a unique perspective to his role at VNA Health Group, particularly now, during the pandemic. Dr. Landers is passionate about providing access to high quality care at home, especially to the vulnerable elderly, and he has authored several articles on the role of home care in national medical journals.   In this episode we discuss: The status of the home care industry at this point in the pandemic Client safety and caregiver safety and training The ongoing demand for home care services in the future Be sure to check out Help Choose Home Season 3, Episode 1

In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Andrea Cohen, a social entrepreneur dedicated to transforming the way care is delivered to seniors at home. As the Founder and CEO of HouseWorks, her vision crystalized over 25 years ago when she took care of both her parents and made an unwavering commitment to redefine what it means to age. As an innovator and thought leader in the home care industry, Andrea and the team at HouseWorks takes an entrepreneurial approach to service delivery that returns a sense of control to adult children and their parents. Andrea was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) and she also sits on the Board of The Commonwealth Institute, the Schwartz Center Leadership Council, and the Caregiver Action Network and serves as an appointee to the Massachusetts Women Forum. In this episode we discuss: How home care is prepared to meet a wide variety of needs and promote senior independent living Specialized dementia care that benef

In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Rosalind Marshall-Jones, CEO and founder of Jacksonville’s Best Caregivers. Roz has been in the caregiving field since 2009, assisting families both in Jacksonville and outside of her immediate service area through virtual caregiving support. Helping families navigate the caregiving journey is one’s of Roz’s passions, and she provides a wealth of information and advice through her blog and via social media channels. As an advocate, crisis counselor and healthcare intervention specialist, Roz is driven by a deep desire to help families achieve success in their caregiving roles. During our discussion on Help Choose Home, Roz shares some of her important insight with listeners. This episode focuses on the important role of family caregivers and we discuss: The need for support and a plan when caring for a parent or other family member Practical steps to make the administrative end of caregiving less overwhelming How support roles are just as important as the ha

In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Cheryl Hammons, CFE, CSA, strategic partnership director for Veterans Care Coordination, a business that helps qualified U.S. veterans and their surviving spouses access aid and attendance benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Aid and Attendance provides monthly payments to help cover the cost of care at home services for qualified veterans. Because the process to apply and remain eligible for this lifetime benefit can be confusing, Veterans Care Coordination works with veterans and their families to apply for the aid and partners with home care agencies to provide the needed in-home care services. In this episode we discuss: An overview of Veterans Aid and Attendance Eligibility and screening process The benefits of the program Be sure to check out Help Choose Home Season 3, Episode 10 show notes and our full library of podcasts dedicated to helping families learn more about professional home care options. 

During today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we welcome Jeff Bevis, founder and CEO of FirstLight Home Care, which provides non-medical home care through its franchises in 35 states, plus the District of Columbia. Jeff is passionate about providing the highest level of service in the industry, through client satisfaction, caregiver retention and low caregiver turnover.  In my discussion with Jeff, he highlights many of the ways home care agencies are meeting the challenges of the pandemic head on and how the status of home care has been elevated during these past six months, as more people learn about the industry and there is a heightened need for experienced, professional delivery of care in the comfort and safety of home. A few of the topics we discuss in this episode include: The increasing demand for and benefits of at home senior care Why it’s important to have a commitment to customer service Options to pay for home care services Be sure to check out Help Choose Home Season 3, Episode 9 show notes an

In recent months, the value of care in the home has become more and more apparent to many families. As COVID-19 has swept through nursing homes and other facilities, older adults have been especially hard hit by the virus. Because of the high rates of infection in care facilities, many families have looked for alternatives for care for a senior loved one, and home care has provided the answers and safety needed during these unprecedented times. To discuss more about the value of home care, Emma Dickison, CFE, CSA, president and CEO of Home Helpers Home Care, is my guest on this episode of Help Choose Home. With more than two decades of experience in home care both professionally and personally as a family caregiver, Emma brings an important perspective to her role at Home Helpers and in her recently appointed role as president of the board for the Home Care Association of America. In this episode we discuss: How the pandemic has fueled an increase in hospitals discharging patients directly home versus to a c

End-of-life care is a difficult topic of conversation for most people, a conversation that frequently comes too late, during times of crisis, or the decisions are left to the family to make on behalf of a loved one. According to Jan Jones, RN, BSN, recently retired CEO of The Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego, California, having conversations and outlining end-of-life care goals is an important gift you can give to your family. In today’s episode, Jan joins me to discuss end-of-life care at home and the important role of hospice. Hospice combines the expertise of doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual counselors, home health aides and volunteers to create an intradisciplinary team that provides care for individuals and their families during times of life-limiting illness. In addition, we discuss: The many benefits of hospice care How hospice care can help extend life and improve quality of life The differences between palliative care and hospice care How to have important conversations about death and end-o

John Olajide, founder and CEO of Dallas-based Axxess, the leading home health care technology company in North America, has a vision of making quality home health care options accessible to people all over the world. This vision is integrated into everything John does and shapes the corporate culture of Axxess. In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, John and I speak about his vision and the important role healthcare at home plays in helping people remain in the place that is most important to them: home. In addition, we discuss: The history and evolution of healthcare at home How cloud-based software makes healthcare at home safe and accessible The important role of leadership in the home health care industry Lessons learned about COVID-19 Be sure to check out Help Choose Home Season 3, Episode 6 show notes and our full library of podcasts dedicated to helping families learn more about professional home care options. 

According to a 2018 AARP survey, 80% of adults over the age of 50 want to remain in their homes and communities as they age. For those in the home care industry, these findings come as no surprise. Home not only represents familiarity, but comfort and security as well. And during the pandemic, home has also been seen as a safe haven for older adults who, due to age and any pre-existing health conditions, are at a higher risk for developing serious complications from COVID-19. During today’s episode of Help Choose Home, I am joined by Jeff Wiberg, CEO of Family Resource Home Care, which has been serving residents of the Pacific Northwest for 54 years. Jeff has been in the home care field since 2008, and as you’ll learn in our discussion, he is passionately committed to helping people access care at home. In this episode of Help Choose Home we discuss: The wide variety of care available at home How professional home care services are paid for The value of home care services The role of home care agencies in h

The medical and healthcare landscapes are vast and overwhelming, and as a consumer, it’s easy to feel like an anonymous face in the crowd. Dr. Michael Fratkin, CEO and founder of ResolutionCare, has been working to improve the care experience for people for most of his career, and founded ResolutionCare based on the idea that people are more than their bodies, more than their diseases, and more than the challenges they face. Based in Northern California, Dr. Fratkin and his team specialize in providing palliative care for people in the comfort and familiarity of home, utilizing a network of experts who share a commitment to person-centered, at home health care.  In this episode of Help Choose Home, we discuss the: Importance of taking care of people, not patients Human experience of navigating a chronic or life-limiting disease Impact of helping people change how they face serious illness Transformative power of telemedicine to level the playing field Be sure to check out Help Choose Home Season 3, Episode

One of the advantages of home health care is the ability to not only serve clients in their homes, but to provide care for a variety of health needs. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, professional home care services have been on the front lines, and from what our guest, Donna DeBlois, RN, BSW, MSB, MBA, AHCH, CEO and president of MaineHealth Care at Home says, are meeting this call head on. In this episode we discuss: What consumers can expect when looking for care at home How home care is prepared to provide services for COVID positive clients The role of technology in delivering great care How the home care industry provides information and education on the benefits of care at home Be sure to check out Help Choose Home Season 3, Episode 3 show notes and our full library of podcasts dedicated to helping families learn more about professional home care options.  

Now, more than ever, care at home is being looked at as not only a viable solution to help an older loved one remain in a familiar setting, but also as a way to ensure the health and safety of a population that is at heightened risk for complications from COVID-19. Understanding the important role of home care during the pandemic, in today’s episode we welcome Paul Mastrapa, CEO of Help at Home, which has been helping seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their communities for over 45 years. Paul has been in the home care industry for more than 25 years, and as I think you will discover when listening to him speak, he is passionate about the ways in which home care can help older adults remain safe and independent in their homes. In episode 2 of season 3 we discuss: The broad range of services available through home care How the health industry is working to assist people both with medical and social issues The importance of consumers doing research when selecting care for a loved one Th

As we learn to navigate life during the coronavirus pandemic, you may be wondering how home health care options have been impacted. Are you a family caregiver who has utilized or is considering using in-home care? Are you considering moving your parents out of a senior living facility into your own home, but know you will still need caregiving assistance? Does your aging parent need help at home, but with COVID-19 as a very real threat to people over the age of 65, you worry about how safe it would be to have a caregiver in your loved one’s home? Are you like me, a mature adult who feels strongly about aging in place, and you want to know how COVID-19 may have reshaped the home care landscape? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, today’s episode is perfect for you. To kick off Season Three of Help Choose Home, host Merrily Orsini welcomes Lora Masci Weagle, Director of Client Relations, and Adrianne Mann, RN, BSN, MSHA, Executive Director of HCR Home Care, which has been providing in-home care s

The idea of having some type of monitoring system in the home of older adults has been around for decades. And while there are options available, many bring with them privacy concerns, as well as resistance from seniors both in feeling they are “being watched” and hesitancy to wear any type of monitor. Understanding these hurdles, John Robertson, founder and CEO of HomeEXCEPT, and his team, set out to create home sensors that would be noninvasive and that could provide improved health and safety outcomes. HomeEXCEPT’s ambient sensor technology was the Grand Prize winner of the AARP Innovation Champion Awards competition in 2017. 

Ellie Hollander is the President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America and has been a long-time advocate for the health and wellness of vulnerable seniors throughout her career. One of the most fundamental needs is helping to ensure seniors receive proper nutrition. According to Hollander, research has shown that people who are malnourished age 14 years more than their current age, which in turn creates a variety of health issues. Hunger in Older Adults also found that 33% of older adults admitted to the hospital may be malnourished and that malnourishment can increase healthcare costs by 300%. Taken together, these statistics show the impact on a community when hunger is not addressed. Find out more about what Meals on Wheels is doing to provide seniors with nutritious meals, a friendly visit, and regular safety checks.

Many physicians face a conundrum. While their extensive years of schooling and training emphasize providing care, treatments, and intervention in order to maintain life, the truth is, death is inevitable and a reality we all must face. According to Dr. Timothy Ihrig, a palliative care specialist and chief medical officer at Crossroads Hospice, because the medical field is constructed around the idea of intervening at all costs, patients and families are often put into a position of prolonging death verses preserving life. Committed to patient-centered care, he believes palliative care has the potential to transcend and transform the healthcare system. He is a long standing advocate for treating patients with life-limiting illnesses according to their individual priorities and life goals, and encourages a reframing of the conversation around the ways in which we think about and discuss death and end of life. For him, it’s not about dying, but about living.

Although death is an experience that we all share, it is a topic that is largely taboo, and for which people are often wholly unprepared. Barbara Karnes, RN, an award-winning end of life educator and author, is working to change that taboo. According to Karnes, 90% of end of life care work is education. From educating the doctors and nurses to educating the home health caregivers and family caregivers, it’s important for everyone to understand that taking care of someone at the end of life is different than taking care of someone who will get better. Join this Help Choose Home podcast, hosted by Merrily Orsini, to learn more.

As those in the home healthcare industry know, the elder population is growing exponentially, as is their need for care. One of the more innovative programs available to help seniors age in place, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly,  has actually been around for more than 50 years. Shawn Bloom, President and CEO of the national PACE Association, talks about why the model is centered on the belief that it is better for the well-being of seniors with chronic care needs and their families to be served in their community whenever possible.